A Time for Miracles
by xobabygurlxo
Summary: Kate Monroe - a different variation than my Kate Monroe in other stories - has to spend Christmas, alone, without her boyfriend, and with her sister and their surrogate family. Danny/Lindsay Mac/Stella Flack/Angell and OC/OC Kate/Alex
1. Family

Disclaimer: NOT MINE!!

A/N: A twist on my usual Don/Kate stories where they're in love. In this story, Don and Kate _did_ date, but only briefly, and it was a mostly sexual relationship, not a loving one like in my other stories. Also, Kate is not the jewel thief she is in my other stories. In this, Don and Angell are married, as are Stella and Mac, and Danny and Lindsay, of course.

Mac and Stella have an 8 year old daughter, Cammie

Danny and Lindsay have three kids: Chris (10), Lilly (8), and Charlie (5)

Don and Jess have a 6 year old daughter, Ava

I own the kids, Kate, and Alex Sterling

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Kate Monroe sat alone in a bar. Sure, this wasn't really a strange occurrence, but tonight was Christmas Eve, and Kate was pretty sure there were only ten people in the bar. Everyone was home with their loved ones. Sure, she had to make an appearance at her sister's house, but she wasn't in a huge rush to get there. For one thing, Lindsay, her sister, and Lindsay's three kids were the only _real_ family of Kate's that would be there. The rest of the family – parents, aunts, uncles, cousins – were all in Montana, except for one cousin who lives in Texas with his "roommate." For another thing, Kate would be the only person over the age of 10 that was single. Well, not single exactly, she had a boyfriend, Alex, but he was currently in Paris on a business trip.

Kate sat there sipping her martini, thinking of Alex and the nerve he had to leave her alone on Christmas, her favorite holiday.

Kate thought about her life since moving to New York. She moved here after graduating from high school, having a model contract. She spent the next few years being the spokeswoman for different designer ads, and doing many magazine covers. Kate left the modeling life behind her, however, when her photographer boyfriend left her for Kate's best friend. Kate, however, did attend one more party as a model, where she met Jack Evans, the owner and senior editor of _Charm_ Magazine. Jack and Kate hit it off instantly, as friends only – the only male friend she ever had and never slept with – and Jack offered her a job at the magazine as fashion correspondent, since Kate _had_ been in the business.

A year or so later, Lindsay moved to the city, and was happy with Kate's new life. After a few months of hanging around Lindsay and her new colleagues, Kate took an interest in Detective Don Flack. The two caught like fire, in what began a very hot and steamy seven month relationship. If you can really call what they had a relationship, that is. They went out a few times, but mostly just stayed in, and kept themselves busy at one of their apartments. However, as quickly as it started, it ended. Kate was tired of just sex, and instead of trying to work out a relationship with Flack, like he had suggested, they just ended it and yet stayed friends.

The rest of the years drudged on. Lindsay got pregnant and married her colleague, Danny Messer, and they then had two more kids. Don met and fell in love with his partner Detective Jessica Angell, and they soon were married and had a daughter – as well as friends Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera.

Kate met Alex Sterling at a party _Charm_ held two years ago. He was a copy writer at a famous advertising agency that his great-grandfather, William Sterling, started. Alex and Kate had a touchy first meeting – he tried to hit on her, and when she didn't fall for his usual charm, he ended up getting into an argument with her over the sleaziness of the modeling and fashion world – but the next day, Kate came into her office to find a gorgeous bouquet of roses from Alex, with an apology note, and an invitation to dinner. Of course, she declined, having never succumbed to charming men easily, and it took Alex two months to convince her that he genuinely liked her, wouldn't play her, and _then _she agreed to go out with him. They had been dating ever since.

Of course, now that leads us to today. Alex in Paris – having an endless amount of meetings with some foreign associates – and Kate, alone, in a bar, on Christmas. She had been at the bar for three hours, chatting with the bartender, drinking, and even getting into a game of darts with some guys, which seemed strange since she was in a short, Gucci dress, and they were dressed in jeans and flannel sweatshirts, but finally she decided to just go on to Lindsay's. The bartender, named Ted, offered to call her a cab, but she declined, taking her own car. Having been a model, and now working at a popular fashion magazine, Kate had an amazingly well tolerance for alcohol.

Once she arrived at Lindsay and Danny's house, she shuddered, imaging the worst that could happen – and probably would – and grabbed her oversized Chanel bag from the passenger seat. Inside were the essentials – cell phone, wallet, check book, makeup, pen, tissues, cigarettes (she didn't normally smoke, but sometimes these "family" get-togethers made her), flask (which was currently empty, damn it), as well as other items, and her overnight clothes, in case she got so plastered she was forced to stay at the house.

Kate got out of her car – a black Audi convertible which Alex always made fun of, but was secretly jealous of – and walked up to the door, which was easier said than done considering she had on three-inch high heeled stiletto boots, and it had snowed the previous two days. She took a deep breath, ready for the onslaught of family goodness that usually made her want to vomit, and rang the doorbell. She knew she could just walk right in – everyone's cars were outside and she could hear the faint strands of Christmas music being played and children laughing and yelling (which was why Kate knew she would soon need a cigarette and a drink) – but she could never pass up an opportunity to make an entrance.

Lindsay opened the door, with a big smile on her face. These cigs were coming out sooner than Kate thought. "Kate, hi! Merry Christmas!"

Kate forced a smile, and hugged her sister. "Merry Christmas, Linds," she said. "How are you? You're looking great."

"Thanks. I've been up since four. The kids…" That's the phrase that always made Kate tune out whenever anyone spoke to her. It wasn't that Kate _hated_ kids, especially her nieces and nephews – but she could never understand why people _with_ children thought that people _without_ them would care about every detail of their now boring lives. Kate just smiled and nodded, finally cutting her sister off by asking to please come in.

Walking into the house, she saw Jess and Stella helping in the kitchen, and could hear the TV on, and kids yelling. She assumed the guys were watching something on television, and the kids were in the basement playing around. Kate said her hellos to the girls, and opened her coat a little, but keeping it on. The women complimented Kate on her dress – Stella and Jess were more fashionably aware than Lindsay ever was, and Kate loved them for that – and Kate, with purse in hand, yelled a hello down to the kids, who didn't come up from the basement, and also greeted the men in the living room. Then she dipped out to have her first smoke of the night.

Standing out on the back porch of the house Danny and Lindsay had bought after their oldest son, Chris, turned a year old, she lit her cigarette, and inhaled deeply. As a model, Kate never did hard drugs like the other girls, but smoking was always something she couldn't shake off. She had started when she was 16, no less, but yet always thought of herself as a classy, old-time smoker, not a skeezy one like some people these days. She even had one of those long, Holly Golightly, cigarette holders, but there was no time for it now.

She suddenly felt someone standing behind her, and turned around to see it was Flack. She sighed a little, because if it had been Lindsay, she would've lectured her, and Kate was _so_ not in the mood for a lecture.

"Still smoking?" he asked, standing next to her.

She exhaled, and nodded. "Yep. Not as much as I used to, though. Alex doesn't know."

"You're boyfriend of two years doesn't know you smoke?" Flack asked.

"He knows I _used_ to smoke, not that I still sometimes do." Inhale. Exhale. Wonderful.

"Sometimes? Only when you're around family, I suppose, huh?" He asked, with that dimpled smile on his face.

She smiled back at him. "Whatever I say next may possibly hurt your feelings, so let's change the subject if you insist on being out here with me."

Flack nodded, held his hands together over the railing, and looked out at the sky. "How you been holdin' up without him?" he asked.

Kate shrugged and took another drag. "Fine. I got my work, my shopping, and I been looking into getting some kind of animal. Cat, maybe."

"Thought you were a dog person."

"Nope. Just told you that 'cuz I knew you were allergic to cats. Didn't need you having a fit in my apartment," she said. He laughed, taking it as a joke, but she was actually serious. No need to tell him that, of course.

"Well, when you're done with that, come on inside. I'll fix you a drink, and you can watch TV with me and Danny and Mac, huh?"

Exhale. "Sure."

Flack nodded, touched her back, and went inside. Kate kept an eye outward, not watching him go back in. She had a feeling he was going to rat her out, even though everyone knew where she was, and to avoid a huge sister lecture scene, Kate took her final drag and tossed her cigarette in the snow. That'll piss off Danny when he finds it. She had to smile at that.

Going in, she hung up her coat in the hall closet, touched up her makeup in the bathroom – while also popping a mint to rid of smokers breath – and headed off to the kitchen. Flack was already there making her drink – dirty martini – and the women were running around finishing making dinner. She accepted her drink from Flack, and went into the living room, sitting on the couch next to Danny.

She chatted with the men for a little bit, trying to keep the subject on something interesting – football, work, other television, movies, or books – knowing that once dinner hit, and everyone sat at the table, the attention would be all on the kids; which was fine, since Christmas was supposed to be a children's holiday, but that didn't mean Kate needed to love hearing about Little Tommy planting a frog in the teacher's desk and throwing up in front of Susie Lipton. Kate always liked talking to Mac, and obviously, Flack, and even though her and Danny had their issues – fights a plenty and a nasty prank war a couple summers ago – she still preferred talking to them over babysitting all five kids.

Before she knew it, she finished her drink, and it was dinner time. She had a glass of wine with dinner, and she was surprised at how good it really was. Lindsay had become a good cook only recently – she had never been that great of one back in Montana – and Kate wasn't that sure of Stella or Jess' cooking habits, but sure they were the same as Lindsay's.

Kate sat in between Lindsay and Jess, having always enjoyed Jess' company, and had Danny sitting across from her, Flack next to Jess, and Mac and Stella next to Danny. The kids sat at a smaller table at the end. Being surrogate cousins, they all got along extremely well. Lindsay and Danny had three children – Chris, 10, Lilly, 8, and Charlie, 5 – while Stella and Mac had one daughter, Cammie, who was 8 and Jess and Don had one daughter, Ava, who was 6. While Jess and Don talked about the possibility of having a second child, Stella and Mac seemed happy with their one. And Danny and Lindsay, well, their only daughter also happened to be their only _planned_ child.

Dinner conversation covered a variety of topics. How was Kate? How was work? Heard from Alex? Cammie's pet goldfish died. Chris was looking good to make the baseball team. Ava's dance recital was in a couple weeks. Remember that time Charlie and Lilly were playing and broke that lamp? It went on and on.

Finally, over an hour and two glasses of wine later, Kate had eaten all she could, and sat there, mildly enjoying the conversation, and working on drinking water. All of a sudden, in the middle of one of Danny's not-very-interesting-but-I-have-to-tolerate-him-because-it's-Christmas stories, Kate's cell phone rang. She apologized, and, seeing that it was Alex, excused herself to answer it. She walked out the front door for some privacy before answering it.

"Miss me?" was his first response.

Kate smiled. "Not really. I'm kind of getting used to you not being here."

"Is that so?" he asked, in a joking manner so that Kate knew he was smiling his gorgeous smile and inwardly laughing at her.

"Actually, I miss you a lot, but I don't want it to go to your head. Your ego is already big enough."

"Mm hm, well thanks for being supportive, honey," he said.

"Anytime. How are you? How's Paris? Still as amazing as I remember it?"

"Better, because I'm here."

"Ah, so humble too," she joked, shivering slightly due to the night air.

It didn't go unnoticed. "You OK?" He can be so sweet when he wanted to. "Where are you?"

"At Lindsay's. I just stepped outside to talk to you and didn't bother to grab my coat. It's quite cold here in New York."

"Yeah, I heard. Well, listen, sweetheart, I have to get to bed. You know, it is 2 a.m. here."

"Oh, right, I forgot the time change. I'm sorry," Kate apologized.

"I called you, remember? Stop apologizing so much." He said, and she smiled slightly. "Hey, Kate?" he said.

"Yes?"

"I miss you a lot, too," he said. Damn him for being so sweet. "And Merry Christmas, and I love you, and I will see you soon."

"OK. Love you too. And Merry Christmas, Alex." They said good night, and hung up. He always knew when she needed to hear from him.

She headed back inside, and sat back down.

"Aunt Kate," she heard one of the kids say. She looked up to see it was Ava – Flack and Jess's daughter. "Do you miss Alex?"

Kate smiled. This girl was precious. Dark hair, like her parents, her mother's brown eyes, but her father's slight dimples. "Very much," Kate responded. "But don't tell, because you know how Alex likes to think he's king of the world." Ava laughed and agreed.

"When's he coming home?" Jess asked.

"Um, I'm not sure, exactly. He said it could be anywhere from now until New Years, until mid-January. It all depends on the Paris office and how well they cooperate."

"That's rough. I'm sorry," Jess said.

"Oh, it's fine. Part of the job. I know all about that. When I was modeling, I'd fly in between four cities within three days sometimes," Kate replied.

Jess nodded. "Well, if you need anything…"

Kate loved Jess. "Thanks, Jess," she said, and gave her friend a slight hug. The alcohol was in that strange in-between phase when you're still buzzed, but starting to sober up, and Kate told the kids to come with her and they'd watch Rudolph or Frosty or some other Christmas special. She mainly did this so she didn't have to clean up, and watching TV with the kids was better than having to play something, and after warnings from the parents that they'd be leaving soon, because Santa was coming, Kate ushered the kids into the living room. She sat on the sofa with Lilly in her lap, and Cammie sitting next to her. Chris took his dad's favorite arm chair, while Charlie and Ava shared a blanket on the floor.

After watching _The Grinch_ cartoon as well as _A Charlie Brown Christmas_, Stella and Mac rounded up Cammie, and Don and Jess picked up Ava, and they left. Danny sent the kids up to bed, and Kate walked into the kitchen where Lindsay was.

"Need any help?" Kate asked, knowing Lindsay wouldn't.

"No, I'm good, thanks. You gonna go home or are you going to stay the night?"

"Oh, I don't want to intrude on your Christmas morning."

"No, it's fine. The kids'll get up early, but Flack and all them will be coming around 10 or so, so you're welcome to stay here if it's easier. Only if you want to, of course," Lindsay offered.

Kate sighed. As much as she hated waking up early – and she didn't have her sleep mask, and due to the alcohol consumption she didn't want to risk a sleeping pill – Kate still agreed to stay. She knew that even though the bedrooms were upstairs, there was a spare one on the main floor of the house where her and Lindsay's parents stayed when they visit from Montana, or for occasions such as this.

Kate went out to her car, grabbing the over night bag of clothes that she had brought with her, as well as all the presents she had for everyone, and put them all in the guest room. After saying good night to Danny and Lindsay, Kate changed into her La Perla nightie, and got into bed, finding herself actually really tired. She fell asleep within minutes.

A/N: PART TWO COMING SOON!!! Christmas Day brings fun, excitement, and surprises!


	2. Surprises

Kate woke up to a knock at the door. She half-expected it to be her cleaning lady, Esmeralda, but when she opened her eyes and didn't see her Tiffany blue colored walls, she realized where she was.

"Kate?" Lindsay called from outside the door. "Come on out with us."

Kate groaned and tried to bury her head in the pillow. It was 6 a.m. Didn't these people sleep? Oh. Right. It was Christmas.

Kate acknowledged Lindsay, telling her she'd be out in a second, and slowly got up. She threw on her silk robe, took a couple Aspirin, and fixed up her hair in the mirror. Then she took a deep breath, ready for the onslaught, and walked outside. She heard three chipper voices greet her, and greeted them back, before heading quickly into the kitchen for some much needed coffee. Danny was already in there holding a cup out to her.

"How you doin'?" he asked.

She accepted the cup, and took a long sip, sighing thankfully. "Better now. Merry Christmas, dumbass," she couldn't help but say.

Danny smiled, gave her a one armed hug, kissed her head, and said, "Merry Christmas to you, _cagna_." 'Cagna' was Danny's pet name for Kate, meaning 'bitch' in Italian.

Kate smiled back, and downed her cup of coffee. She refilled it, and headed to the living room, where Chris, Lilly, and Charlie all sat, waiting to open presents. She sat down on the couch, by herself, since Danny took up his chair, and Lindsay sat on the floor with the kids.

"Auntie Kate! Look what Santa brought me!" yelled the kids. She nodded, and oohed and ahhed as the kids opened each of their presents.

Half an hour later, the living room was full of wrapping paper, bows, and kids playing with their toys. Chris got a new baseball bat, and a Yankees jersey, among other things; Lilly got the Holiday Barbie (she collected them, which is something she got from Kate) and some new clothes, among other things; and Charlie got a jersey like his older brother and a football, among other things.

When she was certain the kids were distracted, and she helped clean up the living room, Kate made her way back into her bedroom, faking a headache so she could go back to sleep. She told Lindsay to woke her up at 9 a.m. so that she had time to get ready before people came over.

It was exactly 9 a.m. when there was another knock at the door. Kate woke up easier this time, acknowledging she was awake, and went to take a shower. Indeed, an hour and a half later, Kate was touching up her makeup when the doorbell rang. It was the Taylor family, who informed them that the Flacks weren't far behind. Kate checked herself in the mirror one more time. Same heels from the night before, Seven jeans, black, Chanel blouse, diamond, Tiffany's pendant Alex had given her for her last birthday, and the earrings and oversized watch that went with them. She greeted the Taylors, asking Cammie what she got from Santa, and then went to the kitchen to make herself a Mimosa.

She just finished making it when the doorbell rang again. It was the Flack family. Being closest to the door, Kate answered it, wishing Ava and Jess a Merry Christmas and hugging them. Don leaned in to kiss Kate's cheek, saying, "Drinking already? Didn't even wait for me," he shook his head. "I woulda made you one."

Kate smiled. "Couldn't wait. Go in and say hi to everyone. I'll make _you_ something. What would you like? Mimosa?" she asked, going over to the little breakfast nook that she had turned into her own personal bar.

"Yeah, sounds good. Thanks," Don said, following his wife and daughter into the living room to greet everyone else.

Kate stood at the bar making Don's mimosa, and a few more knowing that other people would want some too, and listened to all the family happiness going on in the living room. She thought of Alex again, wondering when he was going to have a chance to call her today. Last night's minute long phone call didn't satisfy her as much as she originally thought, and she was really starting to miss him.

Don broke her out of her trance by reappearing in the kitchen for his drink. "You doin' OK? You look a little sad." He tested his drink, finding it satisfying, and looked at her for an answer.

"I'm great. It's Christmas. How was Ava this morning?" she asked, feigning interest and forgetting he could always see right through her. It was that damn connection they had, and even though they weren't together romantically, they had this connection that she didn't have with a lot of people. He could read her like a book, and she was one of the only three people that could break him out of one of his bad moods, the others, of course, being Jess and Ava.

"She was happy," he said, knowing better than to rub his happiness in her face. "Santa was good to her."

Kate smiled. "Good."

Don cleared his throat, and leaned in closer. "Wanna take a walk?" he asked.

She looked at him, eyes wide, and hesitated before shaking her head. "No," she said, giving a small laugh, "Why would I? It's Christmas, Donnie, it's my favorite holiday. You know that."

"Yes, but I also know that you miss your boyfriend, and the sight of all these families is making you want to shove that cocktail fork in your eye."

Kate sighed. He knew her way too well, and being a trained detective, she knew he could tell when she was lying. "Fine. Let's walk. But if Lindsay yells, it's on your head." Flack agreed, and told her to finish her drink, going to get her coat and gloves and telling everyone they'd be right back. Kate could hear Ava and some of the other kids say they wanted to go too, but Don politely told them to stay at the house. She leaned over the counter, saw him kiss Jess and squeeze her hand before getting Kate's stuff from the hall closet and walking back into the kitchen. Kate finished her drink, and wasn't surprised to turn around and see Don holding her coat out for her. He was such a gentleman, though he wouldn't admit it. Even after all these years, a wife, and a daughter, he still thought of himself as the "tough guy." Kate could tell him differently. She was there when Ava was born, saw the tears in his eyes. He wasn't so tough.

Leaving the house, Don asked if she needed a smoke. She declined, saying she was going to try and quit for good, and he smiled at her, saying how proud he was.

They made their way down the driveway and started off down the road. They were silent for a little bit before Kate made the first move to talk. "You're so good with Jess," she said. "And Ava is just the cutest thing. You're really lucky, Don. I'm happy for you."

Don smiled. "Thanks, Kate," he said, and it was a genuine thanks. "It means a lot."

Kate nodded. Silence, again, before finally Don broke it. "All right, I want you tell me the truth here. No lies, ok?" He stopped on the side, making her stop too, and held her arms, looking straight into her eyes. She could only nod. "Are you OK?"

Kate hesitated again. "What would make you think I wasn't?"

"Maybe the fact that my buddy Ted over at that little bar you hang out at called last night to tell me you were there by yourself, drinking, and playing pool with some sketchy lookin' scumbags," Don said. "Tell me I'm wrong though."

"Fine, I was there. And then I was here. See, I can do both. I can do the bar thing and the family thing. Is it a crime to go to a bar before family functions?"

"Hell no. Otherwise you wouldn't be the only one in trouble for that. But I know these families that sprouted up weren't easy for you, especially after what your mother put you through."

Kate froze. She tried to forget all the crap her mother said to her over the years. When Kate was little, she was told that she was beautiful, but not very bright. In high school, she was still being told that, but now she also found out that her mother, Sharon, had been calling Kate a slut behind her back as well. After becoming a model, her mother would only ever say, "Stay away from the drugs." After getting the job at _Charm_, Kate was told she would need to find a real job at some point. After Chris was born, and then Lilly, and Charlie, Kate was told each time to look in wonder at the babies, since it would never happen to her. Lindsay's wedding was a mess for Kate, who was reminded constantly that Lindsay may be the only Monroe daughter to get married. Even when Stella and Mac got married and had their daughter, or Don and Jess, Kate got calls from her mother. "Smarten up, honey," Sharon would say. "You may be beautiful now, but looks don't last forever. Pretty soon no one will want you, and you'll be all alone until you die."

Now, though, in front of Don, Kate put on a brave face. "I try to forget those things," she said. "That's why I go to therapy, and why I drink."

Realizing he wasn't getting through, and not to push it, Don let the issue drop. He apologized, and asked if she wanted to head back. She agreed, and followed him back to the house.

Once inside, Don took her coat to put away, and she went to get another drink, listening to Lindsay scold Don for leaving. Kate had to laugh. Her sister could be so uptight, just like their mother. Kate, on the other hand, seemed to take their dad's more laid back personality – as well as his drinking habits.

While mixing her second drink of the day – and snacking on some stuff the others must have put out while Kate was walking – Jess and Stella came into the kitchen next to her.

"Hey, Kate. How are you holding up?" Stella asked, giving the younger woman a one-armed hug. Kate was really beginning to hate being asked that. Alex didn't die, for Christ's sake, he just left for a while.

So Kate decided to have some fun. "Actually, I'm seriously considering downing this bottle of vodka, smoking a pack of cigs, and heading out to a bar to see what kind of STD I can get," she said with a straight face. Stella and Jess both glared at her, mouths slightly open, until Lindsay came in to ruin the fun.

"She's kidding," Lindsay said. "She gets sarcastic when she's upset."

"Don't make excuses for me!" Kate yelled, pointing a finger at her sister from across the room. "My therapist says it's a way of coping with stress. It's either sarcasm or painkillers, babe, take your pick. But remember, your kids sleep over _a lot _and there's a lot of them, I can't be accounted for what they do or what they put in their mouths." Kate stared Lindsay down, knowing her older sister would cave. Lindsay did. She rolled her eyes, and walked away. Stella and Jess stifled laughs.

"Anyway," Kate continued talking with Stella and Jess, "How are you two? You're the ones with the kids. I get 10 hours of sleep a night."

Stella and Jess sighed, remembering what it was like to sleep. Kate loved to rub how much sleep she got in other people's faces. The only person it didn't get was Mac, who was a notorious insomniac. "Cammie was up at five this morning and would not go back to sleep," Stella said. "But I was able to snag a few more hours, Mac got up to keep her busy."

At that very moment, the man himself walked in, kissing his wife and grabbing himself something to eat. "I don't see Cam as much as I'd like," he explained. "So if I have to get up at 5 a.m. to do it, I will." He kissed Stella again, and left.

"Aww," Kate said, honestly meaning it. "How about Ava? Don said Santa was good to her."

"Yeah," Jess nodded. "She got some great stuff, and she slept in until eight. Takes after her dad." Kate had to laugh and agree at that.

Then Don walked in, kissing _his_ wife. Kate "awed" them too. "What?" Don asked, popping a grape into his mouth. Kate went over and pinched his cheek. "You're so cute," she said in a baby voice, shaking his pinched cheek, and then slapping it gently. He laughed, nodded, and lifted her up on his shoulder. "Don!" Kate started to scream. "Donald, you put me down right now!"

"Don, come on, let her go," Jess said, sighing.

Don shook his head, walking into the living room with Kate slung over his shoulder, hitting his back, and kicking her legs. "Kate, if one of your legs connects with something very valuable to me, it'll be the last thing you do," he warned.

"I'd like to see you try," she said between clenched teeth.

"Yo, Danno! Mac! What should I do, huh? Drop her in the snow?" Don called to his friends who were seated in the living room.

"No! Donnie, please! These clothes are very expensive!" Kate cried. "Jess, please stop him!"

Jess shrugged. "Sorry, honey. Nothing I can do."

"Traitor," Kate called to her. Jess just smiled, and shrugged again.

"Hey, yeah, Flack, we'll just dump her in the woods somewhere, huh? Leave her to fend for herself, find her way back," Danny suggested.

"Yeah, all we'll have to do is open a bottle of gin and she'll come running, huh?" Don said. Kate kicked very close to his special area, and he tightened his grip. "Kathryn, I warned you," he muttered.

"Dump her, Daddy!" Ava yelled. The rest of the kids agreed.

"Hey! I'll take back all the gifts I got you!" Kate was yelling. "Damn kids," she said under her breath.

"All right, princess. If you insist." Don walked over to the back door, Kate fighting like crazy, walked right over to the edge of the porch, looked at the lawn below, covered with snow, and dumped her over the side. Kate screamed. Don and the kids, along with Danny, Lindsay, Stella, and Jess, laughed. Mac shook his head, a slight smile on his face, and went down to help Kate up.

"You OK, Kate?" he asked, helping her up so she could wipe some of the snow off herself. "Yeah," Kate said. "Thanks, Mac."

Mac got booed from the porch. "Let her stay, Mac!" "Yeah, Daddy, it was funny!" "Come on, Uncle Mac!" Mac shook his head, telling the kids it wasn't nice what Uncle Don did, and walked back into the house with the rest following him. Jess took Don aside, yelling at him for being childish, and as Kate made her way back up to the porch, Don took her hand and apologized. "Hey, I'm sorry. You OK?"

Kate sighed. "Yeah. Great. Just, gotta go dry off." She walked off toward the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and wiped the snow off. It didn't ruin her outfit – thank God – and she was able to walk back out looking as good as ever.

Jess apologized, Kate said it was fine, that she wasn't upset, and Lindsay announced it was present time. Kate decided she had enough. Make this as quick as possible, and book out early. Go home, watch the 24-hour marathon of _A Christmas Story_, drink some wine, and hopefully pass out on the couch, like people should spend the holidays.

Kate gathered all the gifts she had for people and put them in the living room, under the tree with the rest. Then she stepped back, getting a seat behind everyone else. She didn't want to be caught in the cross-fire.

Time went on, everyone opening gifts and laughing at each other. They all loved what Kate got them; well, obviously, since she got them all very nice, expensive things. Designer purses for the women, designer watches for the men, an authentic sports jersey for Chris, a video game for Charlie, another Barbie doll for Lilly, a dress for Cammie, and a special princess set for Ava. Kate got some nice stuff as well. Some perfume, wine glasses – you can never have too many -, a wine of the month club thing that Stella and Mac always got her, as well as other things.

Eventually, things were winding down, and Kate was about to get up to leave when Lindsay called to her. "There's something else here for you," she said, passing Kate a perfectly gift-wrapped box. The tag card said _To: Kate From: Santa_, and everyone denied that it was their gift.

Kate opened it slowly, wondering what it could possibly be. It was a jewelry box, from Cartier, and inside was a gorgeous diamond necklace. Kate smiled when she looked at it. She loved jewelry, it was her most favorite thing besides cold hard cash, and this necklace screamed Alex. She knew he had sent it. But how? It hadn't been here last night or this morning.

"There's a note," Lindsay said, pointing out a note that had slipped out of the box.

Kate put the box on the table behind her, and took the note, opening it. It simply read, _Look outside. _Kate got up fast, and ran outside, everyone following her, smiling. The kids were whispering with excitement, and Lindsay and Stella told them to be quiet.

Kate opened the front door to see a limo in the driveway that definitely had not been there before. Her breath caught in her throat as the driver got out, walked over to the back door, opening it, and Alex stepped out. Kate smiled the first genuine smile she had had in a while.

"Merry Christmas, baby," he said. He stood there besides the limo, the driver stepping aside. Alex was dressed in most likely expensive shoes, black pants, his favorite men's pea coat, along with a scarf, leather gloves, and he was holding a bouquet of roses.

Kate ran into his arms, hugging him as hard as she could. He buried his head in her hair, holding her tightly. Kate could faintly hear kids applauding from behind her as she backed away to kiss Alex properly.

"How did you get here?" Kate finally asked. "You were in Paris."

Alex smiled, brushing some hair off her face. "I was at JFK airport when I called you last night," he said. "Your sister and friends were a big help."

Kate turned around to look at everyone, who had now piled out of the house to the front yard. "I made sure you stayed here at the house last night so Alex could go back to your place," Lindsay explained.

"And I took you for that walk earlier so that Alex could drop off your gift without you seeing it," Don added in.

"Then Peter and I drove around a little bit until Lindsay texted me saying you were all opening presents and it was OK for me to come back," Alex finished. "Are you surprised?"

"Very," Kate said, kissing Alex again. "I'm so happy you're home."

"Me too, baby."

Everyone was smiling. They hadn't seen Kate this happy in a long time. "Hey, why don't you guys come back in? Lunch is almost ready," Lindsay said.

Alex looked at Kate. "You want to?" he asked.

Kate hesitated. She really just wanted to go home with her boyfriend, but it _was_ Christmas, and it was only lunch. "Yeah, it's Christmas. Let's stay. Then we can go home and have our own fun," Kate said, winking slightly. Alex laughed, kissing her again. "I love you," he said, and she smiled and rolled her eyes. "Duh," she added, kissing him.

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Everything worked out for Alex business wise, and Kate was so happy to have him home. Christmas was over, but New Years brought the biggest surprises.

Jess announced she was pregnant, and had to explain to Ava that she would soon have a little brother or sister. Everyone was so happy for Jess and Don.

That wasn't the only surprise. Alex proposed, and Kate said yes. She was finally getting married. The new year would bring changes for the group: a wedding, a baby, and many more, since after all, the holidays are a time for miracles.

THE END.


End file.
